👋 Hi! Tell us about yourself and your training

Hi, My name is Shammara Abdulkhaaliq and I’m 45 years old. I am a certified personal trainer as well as a Group X instructor.

I’ve been in fitness since 2012 and it was then I found my passion. Although that was the year I decided to compete in an NPC Bikini Show. I grew up in sports as a Track runner and some Gymnastics.

I teach boot camp, cycling and a variety of group classes in several local gyms. I run my own Personal Training business traveling from in-home, offices, schools and gyms. Training is my business but it also is my lifestyle that I enjoy and call my passion.

I earned my IFBB Pro card in 2018 at Masters National in Pittsburgh. I found the world of bodybuilding through a friend (Tina Durkin IFBB Fitness Olympian) who opened my eyes to this world.

I fell in love and sought out to train, transform and compete. Passion leads me to obtain my pro card without any coaches, posing assistance, trainer or guidance; only with pure passion, all heart.

I absolutely love the anatomy and its abilities to improve, grow, react and form. That there is bodybuilding and why I like it so much. It challenges you in every shape (emotionally, mentally and physically). You can do anything you set out to do!

⏱ Describe a typical day of training

My training time varies according to what muscle group I am working, but 60-90 minutes. Larger focused muscles require more time, such as Legs, Back and Shoulders.

I train 5-6 days a week, with splits of:

Mon: Shoulders

Tue: Back & Biceps

Thu: Glutes & Legs

Fri: Uppers

Sat: Lowers

Sun: Rest

My training lasts between 45-90 min with a scoop of BPI One More Rep Preworkout. In every workout, I include a heart rate monitor to calculate calories burned and stay consistent and motivated.

Off-Season Cardio 10-20min In Season Cardio 30-45min (varies)

I grew up as a runner (track & field), so naturally, I enjoy running. Cardio is specific also to what I’m training that day. If arms, then I’d hit up the row machine and legs, usually Stairmaster or treadmill. It’s a good idea to warm up the actual muscle you will be training to prevent injury.

🤕 How do you recover, rest and handle injuries?

I was never injured. I take a rest day when my body tells me. I take regular massage, hyper volt, cupping, stretch, foam roll and I see a chiropractor regularly.

I also drink BPI’s Best BCAAS throughout the day for recovery.

Sleep is essential in recovery, and idealistically 8 hours or more would be great. But in reality, I sleep 6-8 hours, I think which needs improvement.

🍎 How is your diet and what supplements do you use?

I eat 5-6 meals daily and drink only water, some days more than others.

I eat pretty much the same things with 2 cheat meals weekly when offseason. Most of the time the only difference between on/offseason is the sauces added (teriyaki, barbecue, etc).

In prep at least 1 day a week is a cheating day but in the offseason, usually 2 days (sometimes 3 days) a week. I enjoy both prep and offseason and try to keep a healthy relationship with food. If I want to cheat day, I usually have it but in moderation.

I enjoy the way I eat and don’t really look at it as a diet. I eat intuitively, using Myfitness Pal to log food. Calories burned is tracked using Polar FT7 Watch and App.

✏️ Advice for other people who want to improve themselves?

Get moving, stay active with things you enjoy. Take care of yourself and it will take care of you. Don’t be afraid to experience life and step into things that scare you. Find your “why” and work hard at it.

For newcomers, I’d advise having a game plan walking into the gym. Know what you wanna train and how your gonna do it. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Be patient, stay motivated and use music to set the mood.

For Veterans, if you’re not seeing the results, I’d advise to change up the routine a bit, take fewer rest periods, go for progressive overload and connect with the muscle (mind-muscle connect). Also, don’t be afraid to seek out help.